FootballOpinion

This Week’s Lower League Week

March 29, 2013 David Stringer

Yesterday, this week’s Lower League Week went up at Bornoffside.net.

Coventry, after refusing to pay the rent on their stadium for almost a year, have finally ended up facing consequences for their rudeness. (Though they’ve objected to their punishment on a legal technicality.)

Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn has responded to West Ham moving into the nearby Olympic Stadium and threatening his ‘community club’ by thinking about moving the club outside of the community.

Southend and Stevenage have both changed their manager, while Northampton and Burton are on very long winning streaks at home.

And the organisers of the Football League Trophy have apparently decided that the trophy was too well respected, and responded by inviting Soccer AM hosts Helen Chamberlain and Max Rushden to sing the national anthem. Yeah, that should fix that problem.

Click here to read The Lower League Week – The Laughably Inept Edition

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Is There an ‘E’ in Noticeably? Also, a Delayed Link to Lower League Fortnight

March 26, 2013 David Stringer

Two weeks ago I couldn’t find the time to write a Lower League Week, so last week I wrote a Lower League Fortnight for Bornoffside, covering the events of both weeks.

Coventry are in a legal mess of their own making; things are starting to look up for Portsmouth (relatively speaking); Bury’s players are on low wages; several of Accrington’s players haven’t been paid, but they now have two England international strikers on their books; the Fleetwood chairman has used Twitter to criticise his players; Southend defender Bilel Mohsni might be taking part in a cage fight; and Dani Lopez scored hat-tricks on two successive weekends, for two different teams, in two different divisions. Not bad.

Click here to read The Lower League Fortnight – Financial Mismanagement Edition

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A Noticeably Delayed Link to a Lower League Week

March 25, 2013 David Stringer

I’ve neglected the blog recently, although I have been writing for other places. I’ve written a short story from start to finish, which I intend to try and get published soon (and will write more about in a day or two), and I’ve had promising discussions with a couple of sites about writing for them.

But I’ve also been writing my weekly Lower League Week for Bornoffside, which I’ve not quite got round to linking to from the blog for some reason. I’m going to catch up now, both in this post and another to follow shortly after.

On Thursday March 7th I wrote about Swindon’s new manager, seemingly chosen for his dullness; Coventry being placed under a transfer embargo; Plymouth’s supporters association picking a bad time to criticise the board; Port Vale hitting a rocky patch as they challenge for the League Two title; and Gary Mills, who led York City to two Wembley wins last season, being relieved of his position as manager.

Click here to read The Lower League Week – Noticeably Less Exciting

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Kick and a Punch for the First of the Month. And a Column on Leagues One and Two

March 1, 2013 David Stringer

Another Lower League Week has been published at Bornoffside, again quite late in the week.

This week I’ve written about the tightness of the races to get out of and remain in League One; after Jeanvion Yulu-Matondo was apparently released by Bury after one game, he’s given his side of the story; Chris Kiwomya has been given the Notts County job until the end of the season; Bradford and Oldham have both been knocked out of cups; Southend are in trouble with HMRC; John Still has left Dagenham & Redbridge after nine years to take over as boss at Luton; and Oxford’s match was delayed because the goalposts weren’t put in straight.

Click here for The Lower League Week: Moving On And Staying Put

Comedy, FootballOpinion

New Links!

February 27, 2013 David Stringer

A couple of new links, to things that have been published over the last two days.

I’ve written for Wearegoingup.co.uk, a Football League website, about Hartlepool United’s bad start to the season and recent turnaround. If you’ve not been following Pools (you should have been) the first three or four months were consistently awful. Hartlepool sunk to the bottom of League One, with only a single win, and relegation seemed inevitable. But Hartlepool are now one of the division’s form teams, and seem to have half a chance of survival.

You can read my thoughts at We Are Going Up – Fighting Spirit Restored at Victoria Park

Meanwhile, Bornoffside.net have published John Nutter’s Month in Football, which may be the ramblings of an idiot, or which may be me writing in character with the intent of creating laughter.
John Nutter, like all of us who watch football, has opinions on the game. Problem is, he’s not the brightest.

It’d make him happy if you click the link and read John Nutter’s Month in Football

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Today’s Week

February 22, 2013 David Stringer

Earlier today I published a brief blog post linking to last week’s Lower League Week at BornOffside: here I link to the edition that was published today.

There’s large sections on Paolo di Canio’s departure from Swindon, and Coventry’s conflict over their stadium.

English football’s most successful twin brothers were both sacked as managers this week,Oldham marched a bit further on in the FA Cup, and Preston North End have appointed a new manager already.

Bilel Mohsni returned to Southend after throwing a Tevez, only for them to wish he’d stayed away, the area finals of the Johnstone Paint Trophy were both this week, and I looked forward briefly to Bradford competing in the League Cup final this Sunday.

You can read all that in The Lower League Week – Unreasonable People

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A Late Link to a Large Lower League Week (I Love ‘Literation)

February 22, 2013February 22, 2013 David Stringer

I’ve been intending to link from here to everything I write elsewhere, but occasionally I have a massive memory lapse. So, seven days later, here is a short post linking to last week’s Lower League Week.

League Two’s bottom teams were fighting fiercely to break away from the relegation zone, while League One’s top sides seem intent on falling away from the top.

Mark Robins walked away from Coventry, Graham Westley was sacked by Preston, and Notts County spent about two minutes in court as a result of HMRC proceedings.

Hartlepool’s draw with Portsmouth made it seem that relegation had became a formality for both, and Torquay have been without manager Martin Ling because of a ‘mystery illness’.

Click here to read The Lower League Week: Impossible to Predict

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I Sort of Remembered to Leave a Link This Time…

February 9, 2013 David Stringer

Yesterday there I wrote a new edition of the Lower League Week for Born Offside.

Swindon’s new owners have pissed of Paolo di Canio, Bournemouth are doing quite well, the Dalai Llama has declared his support for a League Two side, Hartlepool United won (remarkable in itself) with the goals scored by Hartley and Poole, Dickov and Curle were sacked by Oldham and Notts County, while Graham Westley praised himself in the Daily Mail, in the week his Preston side set a new club record for home games without victory.

You can read all of that in The Lower League Week – Things Fall Apart

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Things I Forgot to Link To

February 5, 2013 David Stringer

You know how sometimes you plan to do something, keep intending to go back to it in just a few hours, regret not doing it yesterday, and then intend to do that thing in just a few hours for a second day in a row? Then a third?
Yeah, I meant to link to my Lower League Fortnight column when it went live last Thursday. I make it a principle of sorts to make sure everything I write is linked to from here, so I’m catching up, even if it is out of date.

Last Thursday’s Lower League Week (written before the frantic last two days of the transfer window) covered Swindon’s new owners, Bournemouth’s impressive form, Sheffield United hitting a rough patch, Zoko being a bit daft for Notts County, Keith Hill’s return to Rochdale, and a banana.

You can read all of that by clicking on The Lower League Fortnight – Of Money and Managers.

Speaking of things I haven’t linked to, a couple of weeks ago there was a bit of a furore over the ballboy in the Swansea – Chelsea match. At BornOffside we wrote some quick reactions, myself included.

These can be reading by clicking through to BornOffside Reacts…

And… that’s me pretty much up to date for today!

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Bornoffside Bits

January 17, 2013 David Stringer

After missing the first scheduled Lower League Week of the year due to other commitments, today a Lower League Fortnight has gone up at Bornoffside.

In it, I write about lower league involvement in three different cups, Dean Saunders waiting for the moment he starts being quite good to leave his job (again) Port Vale spending money, Notts County’s chairman surfing the web, and Graham Westley was booed by his own fans on his anniversary.

Click here to read The Lower League Fortnight: Glory of the Cups